THEY came to walk their dogs, go for a weekend jog or simply look at the boats in the marina.

But passers-by at Southampton ’s Ocean Village inadvertently became part of a murder inquiry this weekend, as police continued their hunt for potential witnesses.

It was a week on from when great-grandmother Delia Hughes, 85, was found dead in her flat in Atlantic Close by family members.

She had received several blows to the head.

A team of detectives set up a mobile incident unit from 6am on Saturday and were out in force speaking to members of the public, in the hope of discovering a major breakthrough in the inquiry.

Sergeant Stuart Baker, from the major investigations team at Southampton, said: “Obviously, being a week on we’re hoping it may help to trigger people’s memories.

“People have generally got different habits, so they might walk their dog in certain places each week or go jogging and this may be part of their circuit. They may not have initially thought to come and speak to us but could have important information.

“We’re obviously asking specific questions to people about anything they might have seen – it may not seem significant to them, but for the investigation it could well be.

“There’s been a good response from people – they are supporting the police in the investigation and are very willing to help as much as they can.”

A team of seven officers were stopping people throughout the day to ask about their whereabouts last weekend and find out if they had vital clues in the inquiry.

Mary Rebuck, 57, who has a boat in the marina, said: “I think it’s terrible what happened to that poor lady.

“It’s just not the kind of area you imagine something like this happening.

“We feel very safe here when walking around and when we’re on the boat.

“It’s very reassuring to see the police here today.”

Police divers carried out a painstaking search of an area under a pontoon in the marina last week, after it was revealed that someone had been seen discarding an item into the water around the time of the murder.

Officers are keen to speak to a man they believe may hold crucial information, who was seen walking from Atlantic Close towards Tasman Close at about 9.30am on Saturday, August 18.

He is described as white, aged between 25 and 30, of slim build and wearing a blue or dark grey hooded jacket.

A man aged 37 and a woman aged 29 remain on police bail in connection with the inquiry.

Anyone with information should call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting Operation Anglian.